Members of the Trans Nzoia County business community have called on the national government to expand Wi-Fi hotpots in Kitale town and install other hotspots in other markets to facilitate e-commerce.
Speaking to the press in Kitale Town, Kenya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), Trans Nzoia county chapter chairperson Titus Kilong’i said that although the government through the ministry of ICT and Digital Economy launched Wi-Fi hotspots at Sikhendu, Kiminini and Kitale bus park, the hotspots cannot serve the needs of all the traders in Trans Nzoia County.
“E-commerce is the new world order where the seller and the buyer do not need to meet physically to do business and that is where we should be as a country. That can only be possible with a reliable internet connection, so we urge the government to urgently give more Wi-Fi hotspots in all our markets,” Kilong’i said.
He also asked the Ministry of Lands to hasten the release of Kitale medium prison 159 acres of land to the county government of Trans Nzoia to pave the way for the expansion of Kitale town.
Expansion of Kitale Town and Suam Commercial Centre
“When President Ruto was here on his one-day development tour, he issued a Presidential decree that prisoners in Kitale medium prison should be relocated to Kitale main prison and this land surrendered to Trans Nzoia county, we need that like yesterday so that we can have room for expansion,” he said.
He also challenged the government to degazette Suam Forest to provide land for the establishment of the Suam commercial centre at the ongoing Suam one-stop border point between Kenya and Uganda.
“As a county, we are strategically located, which is crucial for doing business. We are way behind Uganda in terms of business at Suam because all businesses go to Uganda and we need the release of Suam forest land to the county as soon as possible,” he appealed.
He, however, decried frequent water shortages and power outages and called on Governor George Natembeya’s administration to address them immediately. He also called for the installation of security lights and CCTV cameras to facilitate a 24-hour economy.
